Merchandise display equipment



Jan. 2, 1962 J. R. RADEK 3,015,399

MERCHANDISE DISPLAY EQUIPMENT Filed Aug. '7, 1959 3 SheetsSheet l NVENTOR. John B. Bade/c J. R. RADEK Jan. 2, 1962 MERCHANDISE DISPLAY EQUIPMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 7, 1959 INVENTOR. Jbhn E. Padek J. R. RADEK Jan. 2, 1962 MERCHANDISE DISPLAY EQUIPMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 D II! Filed Aug. 7, 1959 IZ-+ FIG. 10

FIG. 1 1

FIG. 12 B mwzzvroza John 2, Badsk i/#- 71. W fliiamcys United States My invention relates to merchandise display equipment in the nature of shelving, racks or bins adapted to be mounted on supports disposed against a wall or elsewhere and projecting forwardly therefrom of the general character described in Echlin Patent No. 2,688,409 dated September 7, 1954, which shows a shelf with an adjustable partition.

More particularly, my invention pertains to equipment of the character referred to comprising a combination of sheet metal shelving and wire members of adjustable width forming compartments or bins of variable capacity. In some respects my invention represents an improvement over Sides Patent No. 2,868,391 dated January 13, 1959.

Another object of my invention is to provide a plurality of bins arranged side by side, the bottom wall thereof being a shelf, said bins comprising elongated front and back portions which have interlocking engagement with removable dividers disposable anywhere along the length of the shelf and which dividers also interlock detachably with the shelf, whereby all of the parts provide support for each other and may be quickly and easily set up and knocked down without tools.

Another object is to provide a construction of the type referred to which may be made partly of wire and partly of sheet metal.

Another object is to provide a construction of the type referred to which will be simple and inexpensive to fabricate, rugged and generally satisfactory for the purpose desired.

Referring now to the drawings forming a part of this specification and illustrating certain preferred embodiments of my invention,

PEG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of merchandise display equipment embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation-cross section of the same;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a modified type of divider;

FIG. 5 is a similar view of still another form of divider;

PEG. 6 is an end elevational view taken from a position to the left of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an end elevational view taken from the right of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line 88 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional View taken along line 99 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is an elevational View of another form of divider having a sheet material attaching element, other parts being shown in cross-section;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the parts shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 12-12 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is an end elevation of a sheet-material clip as employed in E65. 10-12, inclusive, and

PEG. 14 is a top plan view of same.

My improved equipment may be applied to more or less standard shelving which comprises a plurality of spaced vertical columns, indicated generally by the nu meral 10, which may be of standard or other suitable character such as steel channels or other standard shapes. Supports 10 are provided with spaced vertically elongated slots 12in the front flan e 13 thereof. Said columns may atent be secured to a wall (not shown) by any suitable means such as screws, bolts, etc., or otherwise supported. Mounted on the column it are a plurality of forwardly extending generally triangular brackets 15 of sheet metal or the like, each of said brackets having a spaced-apart pair of rearwardly extending hook elements (not seen) of standard character which extend through a pair of slots 12 to lock the bracket to the column 10 to provide a cantilever shelf support. Such arrangements have long been more or less standard. 7

Carried on the brackets 15 is a sheet metal shelf 18 having a horizontal portion 20 adapted to provide a surface for the support of mechandise which is to be displayed. It will be understood that these shelves 18 are of any desi ed length and are supported on two or more of the brackets 15 and, of course, any number of such shelves may be arranged end-to-end on columns 11 or the like.

The shelf 18 (FIG. 2) is provided at the front and rear thereof with downwardly and inwardly extending rectangular flanges 25, 25'. Engaging the rear edge of shelf 18 and removably supported thereby is an elongated sheet metal plate 3% having a rectangular portion 32 terminating in a reversely bent flange 35 which hooks over the edge of rectangular portion 25 of the shelf, plate 31) also having an upwardly extending flange 31.

It will be seen that the rectangular portion 32 is so proportioned as to conform closely to the outside of the rectangular flange 25 of shelf 13, the terminal flange 35 serving to hook over the rectangular flange 25 of the shelf.

Attached to plate Bill as by brazing or the like is a generally rectangular wire back bin wall 37 comprising upper and lower horizontal bars 33, 33', an intermediate horizontal bar 39, and a plurality of spaced vertical bars 4d the latter being secured as by brazing to plate 3%, and to the horizontal wires.

Removably attached to the forward end of the shelf is an elongated sheet metal plate having a rectangular flange 47 conforming to flange 25' of the shelf. From the extremity of flange 45 extends a'reversely bent angular flange 59, the latter being hooked over the edge of shelf flange 25'. Plate 45 also has an upstanding flange 48.

Fixedly attached to flange 48 is a wire front bin wall indicated generally by the numeral 53 and comprising a plurality of horizontally spaced upstanding wires 55 brazed to flange 4% and bent intermediate their ends at an obtuse angle, said wires 55 being secured as by brazing to a continuous rectangular frame member 58 disposed above the bend, and to a horizontal wire adjacent the lower extremities of Wires 55, the latter likewise being brazed to flange 48.

Thus, it will be seen that th shelf 18 supports a back bin wall B and a front bin wall F.

I also provide a plurality of dividers D adapted to ex tend between and be detachably secured to back wall B and front wall F at any desired point along the length of said wall in order to separate the space on the shelf into compartments or bins of any desired width to accommodate various articles of merchandise to be displayed.

The dividers D are preferably formed of wire, comprising a continuous peripheral member 67 which is substantially rectangular except that the front portion 68 thereof is bent at an obtuse angle conforming closely to the contour of the front wall wires 55. A plurality of vertical wires'7tl are secured to the peripheral wire 67 at spaced intervals from front to rear thereof, the space between the wires 74 being so adjusted that the wires 70 function as a wall to prevent movement through the divider of the articles disposed within the compartments or bins.

To the front and rear portions of the dividers D are attached, as by brazing, suitable clips for detachably V or may be of different formation.

3 securing the dividers to the back and front walls respectively, at any point along the length thereof. Thus, in the back portion of the divider is secured a clip indicated by the numeral 72, preferably formed of a single piece of wire and comprising a pair of parallel legs 73 extending horizontally rearwardly of the divider and bent reversely to form a U-shaped bight '75 (FIG. 2) adapted to embrace any one of the vertical wires 4% of back wall B. It should be noted that the vertically extending portion of clip 72 is slightly bowed toward the portions 73, as indicated at 77, in order that it may be snapped over one of the vertical wires 4% in the attachment process and thus the divider will be locked in position relative to the backwall B and may be readily detached by reverse movement relative to the back element.

Suitable attaching means is likewise provided at the front of divider D. Such attaching means may be similar in form to that just described for the rear of the divider In the arrangement shown in FIGS. 13 I provide a U-shaped clip indicated generally by the numeral 80 having a bight portion 81 adapted to embrace one of the upstanding wires 55. I may also provide as a lock or catch a wire element 83 secured to a plurality of the vertical wires 70 and having a forward S-shaped portion 85 which is resiliently free to be moved away from the plane of wires 70 and snapped over one of the wires 55 when the bight 81 is moved into engagement therewith. The extremity f of s-shaped portion 85 serves as a blocking finger to prevent accidental detachment of the divider from the Wire 55.

It will be understood that when it is desired to detach the divider from the front element F the loop P of the 'S-shaped portion 85 will serveas a finger piece whereby the resilient extremity 85 of the wire 83 may be pressed laterally to move the terminal hook out of locking relation to the wire 55.

The assembly of all the parts seen in FIGS. 13 is simple and rapid. After the brackets 15 have been mounted on the vertical supports 10 the shelf 18 is placed on the brackets; The back and front bin elements B and F are then arranged on the shelf by the simple movement of hooking the portions and over the flanges 25, 25', respectively, disposed below the shelf. The dividers D are then snapped into engagement with the back and front elements, as already described, the dividers beingdisposed at any chosen interval in order to provide bins of the desired width.

The equipment is then in condition for use and the articles to be displayed are disposed on the shelf 18 within the various bins and are prevented from intermin'gling with articles in adjacent bins by dividers D. It will be seen that the various elements all interengage and cooperate with each other-that is, the shelf and the front and rear elements and the dividers-to provide mutual support.

The dividers may quickly and readily be removed and redisposed at other intervals in the manner'hereinabove described.

It will be readily apparent that the entire display equipment may be set up or taken down with a minimum of effort and time.

I a peripheral wire 67a and spaced vertical wires 70a secured thereto. A re-enforcing wire 90 may be disposed at any desired point between the upper and lower extremities of the wires 70a.

A clip 72:: may be provided at the rear portion of dividers D of generally similar construction to clip 72 seen in FIGS. 1-3 and at the forward end 68a of the divider maybe provided attaching means 80, 83a, generally similar to the corresponding parts seen in FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 shows a divider D" with attaching means 72b similar to the corresponding part seen in FIGS. 1-4 and with a somewhat different attaching element at the forward portion thereof comprising a piece of wire 95 attached to the forwardmost vertical wire 76b and to pcripheral wire 65b and projecting forwardly therefrom. The wire 5 is bent reversely and downwardly to form a locking book 97. The terminal or downwardly extending portion of hook 97 may be benttoward the plane of the wires 79b so as to block disengagement of the clip 95 from one of the downwardly extending wires of the front wall with which the clip 95 is engaged.

It will be obvious that the front and rear elements F and B may be of any desired length corresponding to the shelf 13 and that a plurality of such elements may be arranged end-to-end so as to provide substantially continuous front and rear walls for bins or containers sufficient to extend the length of any shelf, if desired.

In FIGS. 10-14, inclusive, I show a modified form of divider employing a removable type of attaching means. In this case I use an attaching element indicated generally by the numeral 199 formed of a suitable resilient sheet material such as sheet metal, a suitable synthetic plastic, etc. My preferred material for this part is sheet steel sufficiently tempered to'provide the desired resilience. The divider D in this case may again be of Wire, having a rectan ular peripheral element 105 and spaced longitudinal wires 1%.

The element 150, while in planar condition, is provided with a pair of spaced integral punched out ears 102 which serve as-abutments or stops for positioning the attaching means relative to divider D'". The attaching element is also provided intermediate the ears 102 with a resilient locking dog or clip 107 which is adapted 'to snap over into locking engagement with one of the wires 1%.

In the stamping operation forming the elements 102 and 107 the attaching element may also be stamped to provide a pair of spaced books, 110, 110. The element 10! is then bent to V formation at a suitable acute angle, preferably about 70, as seen best in FIGS. 11 and 14. It should be noted that the vertex V is so positioned as to provide a pair of leaf portions 112 and 112', leaf 112 being somewhat longer than leaf 112 (FIGS. 11 and 14) and having a terminal flange 1115 approximately normal to plate 112. 1 erforated plate 117 adjoins leaf portion 112' at such an angle as normally to'lie generally parallel to the divider. Y g V It will be noted (FIG. 13) that the hooks are arcuate in cross-section in order to provide two-point engagement with the horizontal Wires 39 of back wall element B or front wall element F, thus tending to prevent lateral wobbing movement of the divider relative to the back and front walls.

It is believed that from the above description the operation of the attaching element will be readily apparent, In the preferred mode of operation the attaching element 1% is first attached to one of the dividers by snapping the dog 157 into locking engagement with one of the intermediate wires 1% of. the divider and moving the attaching element to a point adjacent the front and back Wall members, whereupon the hooks 110 are brought into engagement with the horizontal wires 39 of said wall members, as seen clearly in FIGS. 10-12. For disengageinent one merely reverses the steps of the procedure just described. Should it be desired to move the divider laterally to increase or reduce the width of the bin, the plates 112 and 117 are pressed together,- releasing the bite of the hooks 110 on Wires 39 so as to permit free sliding movement of the divider. 1

It will be seen that an important advantage of the last described embodiment is the fact that the attaching element 1% is quickly attachable to and detachable from the divider proper, Welding being unnecessary and thus effecting a substantial saving in cost of production. At the same time the construction is sufiiciently rigid to satisfy all ordinary requirements of such equipment. The twopoint biting engagement with the front and back walls, while permittizr ready slidable movement as described above, is also advantageous.

Various other changes and modifications coming within the spirit of my invention may readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and, hence, I do not wish to be limited to the specificforms shown or uses mentioned, except to the extent indicated by the appended claims. It Will be readily apparent that various other types of clips, etc, for detachably securing the dividers to the front and rear elements may be employed, and also that the specific forms shown for the various components may be readily modified within the spirit of my invention.

l. A divider comprising vertically spaced, generally horizontal wires and a plurality of transverse wires secured at spaced interval to said horizontal wires, said divider having secured to the front and rear portions thereof an attachment clip extending beyond the extremities thereof and being deformed to provide means for detachable locking engagement with a wire of a wall member.

2. A divider as in claim 1, wherein at least one of the clips comprises a wire having a straight portion fixed to the divider and a resiliently movable S-shaped end portion, the outermost loop of the 8 serving in cooperation with said hook portion as a lock and the other loop a a finger piece for moving the end portion out of locking position.

3. A divider as in clairn 1, wherein the clips are of resilient sheet material and have integral elements detachably engaging certain wires of the divider.

4. A divider as in claim 3, wherein the clips are each bent at an acute angle to provide a pair of opposed leaves, the integral elements detachably engaging certain wires of the divider each comprising a tongue projecting inwardly from one of said leaves and wherein the means for detachable locking engagement with a wire of the wall member comprises a pair of vertically spaced hook portions formed in the vertex of said leaves.

5. A divider for an adjustable bin, comprising 21 pl rality of spaced longitudinal wires and a pair of transverse wires connected to the longitudinal wires adjacent the ends of the divider, and a clip for detachably connecting the divider to a wall member, said clip being a resilient sheet material member bent at an acute angle to provide a pair of opposed leaf portions and having a pair of vertically spaced hook portions at its vertex, and also having tongues projecting inwardly from one of said leaf portions.

6. An article as in claim 5, wherein each of said hook portions provides a pair of spaced bearing points.

7. An article a in claim 5, wherein one of said tongues engages a longitudinal wire of the divider and another. of said tongues engages a transverse wire thereof.

8. An article as in claim 5, wherein one of said leaf portions has a pair of spaced tongues extending inward normally from the plane of said one leaf portion to provide stops engageable with a transverse wire of the divider, and also having an inwardly extending tongue deformed so as to be lockingly engageable with a longitudinal wire of the divider.

9. The combination of a divider comprising vertically spaced, generally horizontal wires and a plurality of transverse wires secured at spaced intervals to said horizontal wires, and an attachment clip secured to the front and rear portions of said divider and extending beyond the extremities thereof, said clips being formed of resilient sheet material bent at an acute angle to provide a pair of opposed leaf portions, each clip having a pair of vertically spaced hook portions at the vertex thereof, wherein each clip has a pair of spaced tongues disposed in a plane generally normal to that of one of said leafportions and being struck out therefrom, said tongues normally abut ting one of said transverse wires, and said leaf also having struck therefrom a third tongue having an arcuate portion adapted to engage one of the longitudinal wires of a divider, whereby the clips may be snapped into and out of locking engagement with a divider.

10. The combination of a divider which comprises a generally rectangular wire frame member having a pair of upstanding end wires connected by a pair of generally horizontal wires and also having a plurality of spaced, parallel intermediate wires so as to provide a reticulated wall, and a sheet-material attachment clip of V-formation detachably secured to sm'd end wire, said clip comprising a pair of leaves, a pair of spaced tongues struck out from a leaf of each of said clips and disposed in a generally vertical plane and abutting the outside of one of said end wires, and a third tongue struck out from the same leaf and having an arcuate portion adapted to engage one of said intermediate wires, whereby the clips may be snapped into and out of locking engagement with a divider. I

11. An attachment clip for a divider of the class described, said clip being formed of resilient sheet material bent at an acute angle to provide a pair of opposed leaf portions, a pair of vertically spaced hook portions formed by stamping out some of said sheet material at and adja cent the vertex of said clip, and also having on one of the leaf portions a pair of spaced stamped-out tongues disposed in a generally vertical plane to serve as locating stops in attaching the clip to a divider, and having a third stamped-out tongue on the same leaf with an arcuate portion adapted to snap over a wire of a divider for detachably locking the clip on the divider.

'12. A clip as defined in claim 11, wherein said hooks each provide a pair of spaced bearing points.

13. Merchandise display equipment comprising a shelf having front and rear portions bent downwardly from the major plane of the shelf to provide hooks, front and rear wall members attached to said shelf, said wall members being essentially of wire-lattice formation and having downwardly extending hook portions interlocking with the respective front and rear hooks of said shelf, and a divider adapted to be detachably positioned at a plurality of points along the length of the shelf, said divider being essentially of wire formation and having hook portions at the front and rear extremities of said divider for detachable engagement with wires of the front and rear walls, respectively.

14. A combination as in claim 13, wherein the shelf is of sheet metal and the downwardly extending hook portions of the wall members are likewise of sheet metal, the hook portions of the shelf and wall members, re-. spectively, providing flanges which may be interlocked and disengaged by rotary movement of the wall members about said flanges.

References Cited in the file of this patent Skolfield. Oct. 27, 1959 

